More of the same

I'm debating with myself over whether I want to add a couple of titles to my get list--namely, the new Invincible Iron Man book and the new Justice League (is that what they're calling it?) book.

After all, I get both Mighty Avengers and New Avengers.

Years ago, I got both Avengers and West Coast Avengers.

Thing is, I was already getting New Avengers when Mighty Avengers came out. And obviously I was getting Avengers before WCA. What I'm saying is that I was already purchasing and enjoying a similar product when I decided to get the additional title.

But I'm not getting the current Justice League of America book or the current Iron Man: Director of SHIELD book. And not in the "well, I never happened to pick it up, maybe I'll get the trade" way, either. No, I mindfully dropped both titles because they were putting me to sleep.

The question is, where in the past I've added the new-but-similar books based on the quality and enjoyment I'd experienced with the existing book, this time I'd be adding a new-but-similar book that's similar to a book I obviously didn't care too much for.

What I'm looking at this time, of course, are not the similarities so much as the differences. For example, Iron Man. I always liked Iron Man as a character, and I think it's going to be possible (eventually) to pull him out of the abyss, but I really don't want to read more of Tony whining and angsting, however much he may be justified in doing so. I'd like to read more about Iron Man doing superhero stuff. That seems to be what the new book is going to focus on. So, I think we'll get it, at least for a while, see how it is.

As for the new Justice League book, I'm not exactly sure how it's going to be different from the other one. The word I've heard is "proactive." It wouldn't be hard to be more proactive than spending your first however-many issues looking at pictures of other heroes. I'm guessing it has to do with one team going after villains who are actually out doing something villainous at the time (attacking the acts) while the other one takes more of an unpaid-bounty-hunter approach?

And to tell you the truth, I'd probably buy two titles featuring two different Justice League teams doing essentially the same stuff (which is kind of what the Avengers/West Coast Avengers thing was--other than one team being established and the other still working out the kinks, they had about the same mission statement and the main differences had to do with character), if it was done in an interesting way. What I mean is that, unlike in Iron Man where it was primarily the concept (Iron Man in charge of SHIELD) that I grew tired of (which surprised me as I had thought it was a pretty cool idea), the concept of the Justice League is a non-problem. It's been the execution. (I'm keeping an eye open for folks saying "hey, Justice League of America is better now!" so that I'll know when to give it another try. Or to pick up the trades, at least. I'm already closer to doing it than I am with the existing Iron Man title.) So in that case, I'm actually less concerned with the particulars of how it's different than I am with whether it'll be...well, better.

Chances are, of course, that I will add them both to the list.